Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC) Holdings Cut by Simmons Bank

Simmons Bank reduced its position in Simmons First National Co. (NASDAQ:SFNC) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,332,590 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 8,306 shares during the period. Simmons First National accounts for about 2.2% of Simmons Bank’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Simmons Bank owned approximately 1.06% of Simmons First National worth $29,557,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its position in shares of Simmons First National by 105.9% during the 3rd quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 3,888 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in Simmons First National by 13.7% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 4,129 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $89,000 after buying an additional 497 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of Simmons First National by 29.0% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,648 shares of the bank’s stock worth $100,000 after purchasing an additional 1,045 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Simmons First National by 5.5% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,778 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $168,000 after buying an additional 403 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LMR Partners LLP acquired a new position in Simmons First National in the 3rd quarter valued at about $205,000. 27.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Simmons First National Stock Performance

Shares of SFNC opened at $21.50 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. Simmons First National Co. has a 12-month low of $16.03 and a 12-month high of $25.95. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $22.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.70 billion, a PE ratio of 17.77 and a beta of 0.86.

Simmons First National (NASDAQ:SFNC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 21st. The bank reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.03. Simmons First National had a return on equity of 5.10% and a net margin of 10.46%. The firm had revenue of $208.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $208.67 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.40 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Simmons First National Co. will post 1.66 EPS for the current year.

Simmons First National Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.2125 per share. This is a boost from Simmons First National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.85 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.95%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Simmons First National’s payout ratio is currently 70.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Stephens reduced their price target on shares of Simmons First National from $29.00 to $28.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd.

Simmons First National Profile

Simmons First National Corporation operates as the holding company for Simmons Bank that provides banking and other financial products and services to individuals and businesses. The company offers checking, savings, and time deposits; consumer, real estate, and commercial loans; agricultural finance, equipment, and small business administration lending; trust and fiduciary services; credit cards; investment management products; treasury management; insurance products; and securities and investment services.